Against All Odds
by ifyouvegotenoughnerve
Summary: A series of oneshots based on Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley's friendship.
1. New Beginnings

Author's Note: Hi there! This is (evidently) the first fic I've ever fully committed to publishing on here, so it may be a little bit rough and I'm hoping it gets better as I continue and I hope you can enjoy it nonetheless or at least leave me some thoughts on how I can improve :)

Ginny and Neville are two characters I positively adore. I've always kind of loved the idea of exploring their friendship and its development, so this is going to be a series of oneshots exploring that. Right now, I plan to write a total of 5, but that's subject to change. Thank you thank you thank you for reading!

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New Beginnings

Ginny wandered up and down the corridor of the train looking for a compartment that was either remotely empty or at least had a familiar face in it. Ron had already kicked her out and she was growing increasingly frustrated. Last year she made Fred and George let her sit with them and Lee Jordan despite their reluctance, but at least they'd understood that she had been nervous. Now she had no idea where the twins were and she knew Percy was up in the prefect's car, likely trying to find some time to snog Penelope.

She passed Dean Thomas sitting with Seamus Finnigan and the Padma twins, but she really didn't know them well enough to intrude.

Ginny had been hoping Ron would let her join him, Hermione, and Harry. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt increasingly anxious at the thought of going back to Hogwarts. She didn't share the same excitement of returning as the rest of them did. She worried about dark corridors and strange voices and stumbling across dark magic. She worried about the looks people would give her and the whispers she'd hear behind her back as she walked by herself and struggled to get caught up with her classes. She missed so much last year that she knew she was behind. She spent too much time pouring herself into an untrustworthy friend to make any others.

She spotted a head of sandy hair and knocked on the door as she slid it open. "Neville?" Ginny asked, and the boy turned his head from the window with a welcoming smile. She felt a small bit of relief. "You mind if I sit here?"

Neville shook his head a motioned to the seat across from him. "Help yourself. Have a good summer?"

Ginny smiled back at him and shrugged as she took her seat, letting the door slide close behind her. "We went to Egypt to visit Bill. He's a Cursebreaker. So that was pretty cool, I guess."

"You guess? I spent my whole summer with Gram. I think the most exciting thing I did was go to Diagon Alley to get my books for this year," he laughed, and Ginny did too.

They engaged in only polite small talk for a while, but Ginny felt grateful for it. It kept her mind off of things, and more importantly she felt appreciative that he didn't treat her like a broken child. He didn't talk down to her, nor did he seem slightly hesitant around her in the way most of her other classmates had been since they found out about the Chamber of Secrets. He spoke to her like a normal person, just as he would anyone else. She didn't know him very well, but he had been one of the few people who talked to her own occasion last year. If she was sitting alone in the common room, he'd come by and sit with her just for a little while to give her someone to talk to. Early on she learned that he wasn't the type most people wanted to be caught hanging out with, but she didn't see why not. Sure, he was a little pudgy, a bit of a klutz, and maybe magic didn't come as easily to him as it did some, but he had always been perfectly kind to her, and the more she talked to him she learned that he was funny too.

Soon they both fell quiet, watching the landscape pass them as they stared out the window. Ginny's thoughts drifted back to Hogwarts. Unlike Neville, she knew most people were going to treat her differently. Making friends would be even harder now, surely. She imagined scenarios of Tom somehow finding her by other means, even though Dumbledore had told her that Harry had destroyed that piece of him, and that it couldn't hurt her now. Maybe he'd be there as some sort of ghost that only she could see, taking control of her in the middle of the night and-

"You alright, Ginny?" Neville was looking at her, his expression gentle and she just now realized she her knees had pulled up into her chest and her teeth had chewed the nail of her thumb to a nub.

"Yes," she answered easily, quickly straightening herself back out and feeling a light warmth come to her cheeks. When she glanced back at him, she hesitated. She could see he didn't buy her lie. "I'm nervous," she admitted after a moment, her voice quiet as she stared at the floor.

"Of course you are," he said simply, and Ginny looked up at him in surprise, feeling mildly offended. Neville looked back at her steadily, a reassuring smile on his lips. "That's normal, Ginny. I'd be shocked if you weren't." She blinked at him and he leaned forward. "You're not weak for feeling this way. A horrible thing happened to you last year. I'd be scared out of my wits if I were in your place. But this year will be better, and you know that."

She certainly hoped so. Ginny mulled this over, paying special to attention to her hands in her lap. His words did somehow lessen the dread she was feeling. He made her feelings sound validated, instead of weak like she'd been all last year. She hated being weak.

"And don't worry about the others, alright? Soon enough they'll get over it, and then they'll see you for how great you are. I know I'm not exactly cool or anything, but if it means anything to you, I think you're pretty awesome. It won't take long for everyone else to see that too."

It did mean something to her, and she wished her words could express that more. "Thank you, Neville." She lifted her focus with a smile that stretched across her cheeks.

"I mean it. You're going to do great this year."

They fell quiet once more, Ginny returning her attention to her window as Neville closed his eyes to catch a last minute nap before they arrived in Hogsmeade.

"Hey Neville?"

"Hm?"

"If it means anything to you, I think you're pretty awesome too."

His smile told her it did.


	2. More Than Bargained For

**More Than Bargained For**

"I'm angry at you."

"I'm sorry!"

"You should have told me right away! I can't believe you've only just mentioned it now, three days after he asked you!"

"Shhh! Someone will hear!

Despite trying to keep quiet in the library, both Ginny and Hermione shared another look that caused them both to fall into a fit of giggles.

"To be honest, I wanted to make sure it wasn't some sort of joke. You know, that he actually meant it, before I said anything," Hermione explained in a hushed voice, glancing around to make sure no one had heard the preface of their conversation.

Ginny shook her head with a smile, glancing back down at her open Herbology textbook and then at her notably blank sheet of parchment resting next to it. With a sigh she picked up her quill.

"Erm, hi girls."

Ginny looked back up again, her smile brightening at who had joined them.

"Neville! Hi!"

The boy looked mildly pale to her, his weight shifting from foot to foot as he loitered next to their table while he fiddled with his hands. He looked at Ginny, and smiled back at her, seeming to regain a small bit of color in his face. He then turned his attention to Hermione.

"Look um, Hermione, I don't know if you've been asked already- well, you probably have- but I, er, well, I was wondering if maybe you'd um… If maybe you would like to go to the Yule Ball with me? I understand if you don't, but I just thought that because we're pretty good friends and all..." His face had now picked up a light pink hue and his words came out rather fast. Hermione's eyes caught Ginny's, hers of mild shock, and Ginny quickly pretended to be focusing hard on her very incomplete essay.

"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry. I'm already going with somebody. But really, I'm flattered that you thought to ask me," Hermione replied graciously with a pleasant smile. Ginny peaked up at her and gave her a subtle reassuring nod.

"Oh. Right, of course. Well um, thanks anyways. I hope you have a great time," Neville said with a good-natured smile. "I'll see you lot later." He seemed slightly defeated as he turned to leave them.

"Hey, Ginny?"

Ginny looked up from her parchment. It now had a grand sum of three sentences on it. "Hm?" Neville was back at the table.

"What about you? Would you mind going with me? Given that someone hasn't asked you yet, of course."

It was Ginny's turn to blink in surprise. She caught Hermione's eye before looking back to Neville who had his hand shoved into his pockets as he awaited her answer. While she didn't dare admit it out loud, part of her had been hoping that perhaps Harry would ask her, even just as a friend. He didn't have a date yet, after all. Though deep down she knew that was an impossible dream. Harry would ask every girl in the school before he asked his best friend's little sister. Hermione's voice from this past summer rang in her ear, reminding her that she couldn't just wait around for Harry because she'd miss out on other opportunities. It wasn't as if she could go unless someone in a year above her asked anyways.

"I don't see why not. Sure!" Ginny nodded her head with a growing smile. Her friends would be jealous of her. They had all been trying their hardest to find an older boy to take them, none who had any luck. Except for Ginny. No, Neville might not have been the coolest boy, but that didn't matter. He was a good friend, and she would have fun with him. Maybe Mum would even let her get her own pair of dress robes.

"Great. Thank you so much Ginny. I can't wait," Neville grinned at her, looking widely relieved. "Gram will be really happy. I'll see you later. Bye 'Mione, by Gin," he said cheerfully, waving to the girls as he left from the table.

The two girls met eyes again, promptly falling into another fit of giggles.

* * *

On the much anticipated night of the Yule Ball, Ginny began the night in a rather sour mood. She couldn't believe that she had actually had the opportunity to go with Harry, and that she had to turn it down because she'd already told Neville she would go with him. It had been mortifying.

Her mood lifted slightly once she put on the dress robes her mother had sent her. They weren't new, but Ginny knew it would have been an awful lot to ask her parents to buy such a thing. Instead, her mum had sent the ones she wore when she was still in Hogwarts, but she had fixed them up such that no one would ever be able to tell they were hand-me-downs. They fit her perfectly, and with the changes her mum had made to make them look less outdated they truly did look wonderful.

She and Hermione had spent time in the dormitory, where Ginny showed Hermione different cosmetic spells that they tried out on each other, while Hermione used muggle makeup on Ginny's eyes to make them pop. By the time she went downstairs to meet Neville, she felt truly beautiful.

At the beginning of the ball, she couldn't help but feel jealous of Parvati who was dancing with Harry while she was stuck with Neville stumbling all over her feet, but it wasn't long until she entirely forgot about Harry and found herself genuinely enjoying herself with Neville. His dancing improved as the night went on and she laughed with him when he confessed that he'd been practising.

Now the number of students still at the ball was dwindling rapidly as the clock struck two in the morning, and Ginny and Neville decided it was time they headed back to the Common Room. She couldn't stop grinning on their trip to the Fat Lady, feeling positively giddy. A fourth year from Ravenclaw had asked her to dance, and after spending at least an hour with each other he had made the promise that they would have to find a time to meet up again. Neville didn't seem to have minded, for he went off on his own with Luna Lovegood, and the two seemed to be having a wonderful time.

They chatted their whole way up to the Common Room, both of them feeling excitable despite their exhaustion from dancing the entire evening. The two climbed through the portrait hole, and then they were standing in front of their respective staircases leading up to the dorms.

"Did you have a good time, Ginny?"

"I had a great time. Thank you so much for inviting me to go with you." Ginny hesitated for a moment. _Oh, what the hell_. She quickly wrapped her arms around Neville in a tight hug, grinning at him. He stood still for a moment, before his arms wrapped around her to hug her back.

"I'm really glad you came with me," he smiled. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Neville pulled back from her slightly, but his hands still rested outstretched onto her shoulders. "I know that you would have much rather been there with Harry," he said, quieter now. Ginny's cheeks flushed, and she immediately opened her mouth to protest but Neville spoke again before she could say anything. "But I really appreciate that you came with me. Really, it means a lot to me."

"I'm glad I went with you and not Harry," Ginny said without a second thought, and she realised that her words were honest. "He looked miserable the whole time anyways. I had much more fun with you than I would have with him," she said and they both laughed.

"I'm happy to hear that _you_ weren't miserable with me the whole time," Neville chuckled. "I guess we'd better head up. Thanks again, Ginny. I really had a lot of fun," he smiled.

Ginny grinned back up at him, and then pressed up onto her toes to leave a quick peck on his cheek. "Thank you, Neville. I'll see you tomorrow." She watched his cheeks turn a mild shade of pink as she turned to bound up the stairs, cheerily waving back at him.


	3. To Be Worthy

**To Be Worthy**

 **Authors Note:** Hi again! I'm super sorry it took me so long to get this one uploaded. I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now and I wanted to make sure I did it justice. (Hopefully I did :P). This turned out a lot angstier than I originally intended, but I'm just gonna roll with it. Hopefully it's not horrible. Thank you all so much for reading this :D

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Shortly after their first dinner back from winter holiday, Ginny made her way up to the owlery with a piece of parchment clutched in her hand. The simple scrawling on it addressed her mother who always insisted they sent a letter home so she'd know they had arrived safely at Hogwarts, a task her brothers always enforced upon her. Merlin forbid Ron do it for once. It was his owl, anyways.

As she pushed open the heavy oak door, Ginny saw another figure struggling to tie a letter onto one of the school owls.

"Hey there Neville."

There was a rustling of feathers, and then a sort of hiss of discontent. Ginny heard a beak snap, and then a pained gasp from Neville.

"It bit me!"

Ginny nibbled on her lip to stop herself from smiling as she made her way over to help Neville as he sucked on his finger, taking the rolled up parchment from him and finding a new owl, the other one having promptly flown away.

"It's for Gram," Neville muttered irritably to the new owl once Ginny had managed to attach the letter to its foot, and the owl then took off for its destination. "She always makes me write her when I get to school, although I'm not sure why seeing as she would know just about as soon as everyone else if something went wrong on the trip," he shrugged, and Ginny smiled.

"Mum makes us do the same. When we forget Dad says she freaks," she grinned, holding up her own letter before beginning to call for Pig. "I think they're even more on edge with Umbridge around. Not that I can blame them. It will take at least a few days before they even get what we send them, after it's been searched for anything important," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Did you have a good holiday?"

"I did. It was nice not to get away from this hell hole for a while, anyways. I'm looking forward for the next DA meeting, though." Neville followed Ginny as she finally located the owl who began screeching excitedly while she tried to attach the letter. "How's your dad?" He asked more seriously, lowering his voice.

"He's just fine. He'll be well enough to leave St. Mungo's soon. We got lucky," she said quietly, knowing it was best not to elaborate, even though she felt fairly confident they were alone. Neville nodded in understanding. "How are your-" Ginny halted, realizing what she was about to say and immediately blushing at her foolishness, her attention turning to her feet.

Neville didn't seem bothered, however. He simply smiled at her, a bit sadly maybe, and shrugged. "They're okay, Gin. It's always nice when I get to see them."

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as Ginny sent Pig off. She hadn't seen Neville since their encounter at St. Mungo's. Until then, she had no idea about his parents and discovering it the way they all had over the holiday hadn't been exactly… ideal.

"I'm sorry, Neville," she whispered. Both for him being forced into a scenario where the situation with his parents was explained rather than him telling them on their own time, and for the tragedy itself. She couldn't fathom what it must be like to grow up knowing your parents when they never really knew you. After the incident, she hadn't stopped thinking about how strong Neville was, and how guilty she felt for never realizing what he dealt with his whole life.

"Please don't be," he mumbled in reply, and the two met eyes for a moment. "I'm not ashamed of them," Neville said, with a sense of defiance in his voice, almost as if he expected Ginny to challenge him.

"Of course not, I didn't mean-"

"I know you don't. I just don't want people to think that's why I don't talk about it. I'm not ashamed of them at all. I admire it. I'm proud to be their son. And I just hope that I can someday be as brave as they are." Neville shuffled his feet, letting out a quiet sigh. "I don't want people to pity me. And I don't want people to make comments or stay stuff about them, not because I'm ashamed of them but because I'm ashamed of me."

Ginny bit her lip, reaching her hand out to rest on his arm. "Neville…"

"I don't want people to make excuses about the way I am, saying it's because of them. It's not. They were amazing people, Gin, you heard Gram talking about them. They were aurors, and they were good at everything they did and they were impossibly brave and I'm not. Everybody in my family knows that. I'm a disappointment compared to them. I'm so proud to be their son, Ginny, but I'm so ashamed that I'm the son they have."

Ginny didn't hesitate to wrap her arms tight around Neville and she felt him freeze for a moment before reciprocating the hug. "You are not a disappointment, Neville, do you understand that? You are not a disappointment," she repeated, pulling back slightly to look him in the eye. "You're parents would be so proud to have you as a son. You are so brave Neville, and I'll bet you anything you're just as brave as they are. Just because you haven't defied Tom Rid- Voldemort- himself doesn't mean you aren't every bit as brave as they are, even in the small things you do. You were sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. I promise that was not just a fluke. You belong in this house and you will do great things. I know you will. You will make them proud."

They stood like that for a long time, before finally Neville pulled away with a small smile and a slight nod. "Thank you Ginny," he said, giving her arm a squeeze.

"I mean it, Neville, alright?" Ginny smiled back at him. "Now c'mon, let's go back to the Common Room. Ron told me the twins were planning on stealing a bunch of desserts from the kitchen, and I want to get my hands on some before they're all gone."


	4. Changing Tides

Author's Note:

1)Yes, I _finally_ wrote this after six months (procrastinate much, amirite?) but this idea has been simmering in my head for a while and I wanted to do it justice.

2) Canonically, they board the Hogwarts Express an hour after the funeral, so technically this day at Hogwarts never existed, but for the sake of this scene, we're gonna say it did (wow, the beauty of fanfiction!).

I always imagined this moment happening between Neville and Ginny and it being something of a turning point in their friendship as they enter what we consider the 'bulk' of the war aka Deathly Hallows. I hope you enjoy reading this scene as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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Changing Tides

The sun came through the windows of the Gryffindor tower mockingly bright. Clouds hung in the air like they had each been crafted by hand then tossed up to sit as puffs full of soft string while a breeze whispered through the newly budding trees and across the blades of regrown grass. These were the types of days they would halt revising for a moment to spend the afternoon lounging by the Black Lake, waving back at the Giant Squid when it splashed. It certainly didn't look like Death Eaters had invaded the castle just a few days ago, or like a funeral was held yesterday.

 _It ought to be raining_ , Ginny thought bitterly. _Storming_. She felt it ought to be the ugliest day she had ever seen but as she stared out from her spot at a table in the Common Room, she saw just the converse. It reminded her of one of those fleeting moments of tranquility she had spent with- _no_. She wasn't thinking about that right now.

She had found a surprisingly quiet moment in the Common Room. Aside from Arnold tucked quietly against her neck, she sat alone. Everyone else had either made their way down to breakfast or had no intents of waking before noon. Ginny felt neither like eating nor sleeping. Dreams came vivid with whispers of voices from her past since the battle, as if her mind wasn't too restless anyways. She didn't feel like sitting at the Great Hall across from Harry, avoiding eye contact the whole breakfast and hearing the awkward mumblings they'd make when they accidentally brushed hands reaching for more jam. She didn't want to deal with Ron and Hermione's knowing glances. Hermione's cautious inquisitions, Ron's ignorant babbling. The undeniable air of tension that held thicker than the clouds outside which didn't exist this time yesterday.

 _You_ knew. _You_ knew _it wouldn't last. And you're stupid for letting yourself think that just for a second you're living in one of those Muggle faerytales Hermione told you about. Your life has never been anything of the sort. Time to wake up._

It didn't mean she didn't understand. It also didn't mean it wouldn't sting. This one stung a lot. A lot more than cutting it off with Michael or Dean. And Ginny hated that. She wasn't supposed to feel all caught up on a stupid boy she said she'd let go of years ago. And yet she did.

"Not at breakfast?" The voice came from the steps to the boys' dormitory.

"Not hungry."

"But you're not still in bed?"

"Can't sleep."

Ginny pulled her head from the window to see Neville's sandy hair now sitting directly across from her. He had a gruesome gash across his lip that was still healing and she knew from the uneven sounds of his steps his knee probably required an extra day of rest in the hospital wing, not that Neville would ever take it.

"You're not at breakfast," she commented.

"Not hungry."

"But not still in bed?" Her lips turned up into a slight, wry smile.

"Can't sleep." Neville's did the same.

Ginny's head turned back to the window and their smiles fell, the moment gone. A crane flew over the lake with its feet just skimming the water to disrupt the glossy reflection and leave a path trailing behind it. With the exception of the occasional breeze rustling branches and birds chirping, the grounds held a silent tranquility as if someone had cast a spell over the entirety of Hogwarts.

"It seems insulting. The weather ought to know we're all grieving. Awfully indecent, if you ask me."

Neville let out a half-hearted snort. "I'm not quite sure that's how the weather works, Gin. It was like this yesterday."

"Indecent," Ginny muttered again.

They sat in silence for a long time. Ginny, with her eyes on the peaceful grounds below them, her hand occasionally lifting to stroke Arnold. Neville, with his focus on an etching in the table that had been there for probably thirty years. The first letter was a clear 'M', but the rest were relatively indistinguishable from years that had worn them down.

"He cut it off." She didn't know where the words came from, but it felt like they tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"What?" Neville's fingers stopped tracing over the timeworn letters and his head lifted to meet Ginny's eyes.

She stayed quiet for a long moment again, her eyes drifting back towards the window. She drew in a deep breath, finding her throat surprisingly tight as she swallowed. "Harry ended it. Yesterday. But I reckon you already knew that."

"I didn't."

Silence again.

"I actually don't think he's told anyone, Gin. To be frank, I'll bet he's avoiding dealing with Ron's wrath. We'd all have known, just from that alone. Merlin knows the whole dormitory's intolerable when one's mad at the other." Neville kept his voice soft, sensitive. She could tell he was trying to lighten the situation but she didn't feel much in the mood for it.

"Pff. As if Ron would care. He'd drop me in a heartbeat if he had to choose between me and Harry." Ginny let her eyes momentarily leave the window to meet Neville's before promptly returning to their place.

"That's not one bit true. You might not know it from the way he acts around you, but he cares a whole lot about you. He talks about you all the time. Harry's his best mate, but I reckon he'd drop _him_ in a heartbeat if it came down to it. You know how important family is to Ron."

Ginny merely rolled her eyes in response. She kept them fixated on the window until she felt Neville's hand softly grabbing hers, demanding her attention.

"Hey." His voice came out hardly above a whisper and his eyes stared at her all too kindly, with too much understanding. "I'm sorry. I know how happy he made you."

Ginny's neck snapped towards the window and her teeth nibbled hard on her lip, but it was too late. Her eyes had already started brimming with water, her throat even tighter than it was moments ago. It took Neville hardly a second to shift to the seat beside her and cradle her head into his chest.

They weren't dramatic, heaving sobs, but rather soft sniffles and occasional tight breaths. Still, this was the first time she'd cried, _really_ cried, since it all happened. Ginny wasn't one to let herself be vulnerable. She didn't _cry_ , not like this, and certainly not in front of people. Not since her first year.

Arnold hopped off her shoulder and replaced Ginny's eyes by sitting on the windowsill. Her arms wrapped around Neville in return and for just this moment, she let him see her like this and let him comfort her. They sat like that until her sniffles grew less and less frequent and her tears no longer dampened Neville's shirt. When Ginny lifted her head to wipe her nose and mouth with her sleeve, Neville let out a small chortle.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, it's just- I think you might be the least ugly crier I have ever seen."

Ginny responded with a harsh smack to Neville's arm.

"What!" He cried, pouting as he rubbed the spot she just hit.

Her head fell to rest on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around hers. "You're full of shit, is all," she grinned up at him. Neville shook his head with an eye roll in response, but let the topic slide for now.

"It's- I understand. Why he did it, I mean. I get it, I really do. I just wish he didn't feel like he had to," Ginny whispered. Neville's hand gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"I don't think it was easy for him Gin, I really don't. I don't think you realize just how happy you made him. And trust me, I've lived with Harry for six years. He's not exactly a pleasant bloke to be around sometimes. But these past few weeks he's been with you- I swear. He's not his typical, moody self. He's, well, _happy_. He's nicer and doesn't snap at people and Merlin, I think he sometimes hums when he gets up in the morning." Neville chuckled.

It did make her smile, just the tiniest bit. "I saw it coming. I think- I think I've known it was coming for a long time, really. It was foolish of me to think it would last."

Neville frowned. "Gin, what you two have is special. I've never- I've never seen anything like it before. The way you two laugh at each other is absolutely revolting and he gets this dumb, glossy-eyed look when he's watching you- oh yeah, he watches you all the time. Has been for months. Not when you're doing anything special, just sitting, writing, revising. All. The. Time. And you always seem to know what the other is thinking and feeling without saying a word- it's bloody weird I'm telling you. But… I guess what I'm trying to say is, you mean just as much to him as he does to you. And what you and Harry have is something unique that I'm not sure everyone finds. So at the end of all of this, whatever that might mean, I have a feeling you'll find each other. I really do."

Ginny smiled sadly at Neville. She thought on this for a while. Maybe Neville was right. The optimist in her liked to believe that he was, but the cynic that always prevailed in times like these told her not to get caught up in such nonsense.

"Things are going to be different now, aren't they," she murmured, though it wasn't much of a question. There was no doubt things would be changing. They all knew it. Maybe they'd seen it coming for ages, but Ginny felt they were all too wrapped up in those brief moments of happiness to remember what loomed ahead until it actually came. There would be no more games now. No more lounging in the sun by the Black Lake, no more giggling behind tapestries late at night. A war was upon them. It was time they started acting like it.

"McGonagall will take over, no doubt. I'll bet she runs a tight ship," Neville mused.

"With our luck, we'll end up somehow having Snape as Headmaster," Ginny snorted.

Neville pulled away from her, eyes wide. "Don't even joke about that! Can you imagine something worse? That man has hated me before I even stepped foot in his classroom. Probably because it took too long for the Sorting Hat to sort me," he muttered. They both fell into giggles, and for that moment, despite it all things felt almost alright again.

"Yes, Gin. Things are going to be very different. But we'll take them on like we always do. And we'll make it through, and Voldemort will be gone, and you and Harry will live happily ever after. Even if it's against all odds. Alright?" Neville had a surprisingly optimistic grin on his face as he squeezed Ginny's shoulder once again. It was probably one of the things she loved most about Neville. Even if he didn't always see the bright side for himself, he always seemed to find it for others.

"Alright. Even if it's against all odds," she grinned back. The puffiness of her eyes was still there but the blotchiness in her cheeks had faded and the tightness in her throat had loosened up to a point where it didn't feel like she was swallowing a rock every time she took a breath. Neville stood up and so did Ginny, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"C'mon, let's go get some breakfast before it's all gone."


End file.
